James Gandolfini Passes Away at 51

[Pavan]

BREAKING NEWS:

June 19, 2013

James Gandolfini, the actor who most famously portrayed Tony Soprano on the series "The Sopranos," has died in Italy at age 51, according to HBO, which broadcast "The Sopranos."

Gandolfini also has a long list of credits as a film actor in character and supporting roles.

Gandolini died reportedly of a heart attack.

He won three Emmy awards for his performance on the HBO series 'The Sopranos'.

[Flying Dutchman]

OMG! At 51? That is so young.

[Janice]

Too sad. I'm in shock. I feel like crying. Terrible news. I never missed a single episode of The Sopranos.

[Zoneboy]

Link

James Gandolfini, the Emmy Award-winning actor who shot to fame on the HBO drama “The Sopranos” as Tony Soprano, a tough-talking, hard-living crime boss with a stolid exterior but a rich interior life, died on Wednesday. He was 51 years old.

Mr. Gandolfini’s death was confirmed by HBO. He was traveling in Rome, where he was on vacation and was scheduled to attend the Taormina Film Festival. A cause of death was not immediately announced; a press representative for HBO said that Mr. Gandolfini may have died from a heart attack, though other news reports said he died from a stroke.

Mr. Gandolfini, who grew up in Park Ridge, in Bergen County, N.J., came to embody the resilience of the Garden State on “The Sopranos,” a television drama that made its debut in 1999 and ran for six seasons on HBO.

In its pilot episode, viewers were introduced to the richly complicated life of Tony Soprano, a New Jersey mob kingpin who is suffering from panic attacks and begins seeing a therapist. Over 86 episodes, audiences followed Mr. Gandolfini in the role as he was tormented by his mother (played by Nancy Marchand), his wife (Edie Falco), rival mobsters, the occasional surreal dream sequence and, in 2007, a famously ambiguous series finale which left millions of viewers wondering whether or not Tony Soprano had met his fate at the table of a diner.

The success of “The Sopranos” helped make HBO a dominant player in the competitive field of scripted television programming, and transformed Mr. Gandolfini from a character actor into a star. The series, created by David Chase, won two Emmy Awards for outstanding drama series, and Mr. Gandolfini won three Emmys for outstanding lead actor in a drama, having been nominated six times for the award.

HBO said of Mr. Gandolfini in a statement on Wednesday, “He was special man, a great talent, but more importantly a gentle and loving person who treated everyone no matter their title or position with equal respect.”

James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. was born in Westwood, N.J., on Sept. 18, 1961. His father was an Italian immigrant who held a number of jobs, including janitor, bricklayer and cement mason. His mother, Santa, was a high school lunch lady.

He attended Park Ridge High School in New Jersey and Rutgers University, graduating in 1983 with a degree in communications. He drove a delivery truck, managed nightclubs and tended bar in Manhattan before becoming interested in acting at age 25 when a friend brought him to an acting class.

He began his movie career in 1987 with a small role in the low-budget horror comedy “Shock! Shock! Shock!” In 1992 he had a small part in the Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire” starring Alec Baldwin and Jessica Lange.

By the mid-1990s Mr. Gandolfini had made gangster roles a specialty, playing burly but strangely charming tough guys in films like “True Romance” (1993) and “The Juror” (1996). He had an impressive list of character-acting credits but he was largely unknown to the general public when David Chase cast him in “The Sopranos” in 1999.

“I thought it was a wonderful script,” Mr. Gandolfini told Newsweek in 2001, recalling his audition. “I thought, ‘I can do this.’ But I thought they would hire someone a little more debonair, shall we say. A little more appealing to the eye.”

Survivors include his wife, Deborah Lin; a daughter, Liliana, born last year; and a teenage son, Michael, from his marriage to Marcella Wudarski, which ended in divorce.

[Mr. Television]

Wow. I'm shocked.

[robyrob]

very shocking news - he was so good in the Sopranos

[JamesG]

I was shocked to read that tonight.

I guess we can definitely forget about a "Sopranos" film now.

[80sTrivia]

Very shocking, sad news...

[Penny Lane]

RIP James

[shotzette]

I'm probably the only person on the planet who hasn't seen The Sopranos, but I've been a fan of Mr. Gandolfini's other projects for years. He was far to young to die and far too young to leave a teenager and an infant fatherless. Sad for all around.

[*ROGER*]

Originally Posted by shotzette

I'm probably the only person on the planet who hasn't seen The Sopranos

You're not the only one. I've never seen an episode of the Sopranos, but I have seen clips, and I think the show is pure trash. It's vulgar, dumbed down, brain-dead crap for the Jersey shore crowd. I hate it.

[Marvo301]

James Ganolfini. It's scary having someone this close to my age (I'll be 49 this year) die.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by *ROGER*

You're not the only one. I've never seen an episode of the Sopranos, but I have seen clips, and I think the show is pure trash. It's vulgar, dumbed down, brain-dead crap for the Jersey shore crowd. I hate it.

Way to go Roger. Not a kind word for the deceased, and a disgusting insult for its audience who are feeling kinda lousy right now. Since you have nothing nice to say, stay out of this thread.

[Family Ties Forever!]

The Sopranos isn't my type of show, with the violence and language; however, it still has my respect due to its enormous popularity, numerous Emmys and other awards. James Gandolfini was a brilliant actor who died way before his time.

My prayers are extended to his family and friends. I'm sure they're heartbroken beyond words right now.

[Mr. Television]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...sEnabled=false


James Gandolfini dead at 51: Family friends Gilles and Carole Marini say late 'Sopranos' star seemed in good health

The 'Dancing with the Stars' vet spent time at graduation party with his friend and saw no signs of Gandolfini's impending heart attack.

By Casey Tolan , Nancy Dillon AND Larry Mcshane / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 11:36 AM
Updated: Thursday, June 20, 2013, 6:47 PM

A happy and seemingly healthy James Gandolfini spoke excitedly about his upcoming father-son vacation just five days before his death inside a Rome hotel room.

The Emmy-winning star of “The Sopranos” was stoked last Friday at an eighth-grade graduation party for his 13-year-old son Michael, said family friend Carole Marini.




Gandolfini “was amazing as usual,” Marini told the Daily News. “He seemed very healthy to me — walking around, laughing, smiling, showing his little baby girl to everybody.


“There was no sign of trouble,” added Marini, wife of “Dancing with the Stars” veteran Gilles Marini. “For us, it was a shock.”
Actor Gilles Marini (left) and his wife Carole, close friends of Gandolfini’s, had dinner with the actor several days before his death and said the ‘Sopranos’ star seemed healthy.



After Gandolfini’s son found his dad in their room, doctors waged a desperate 40-minute battle to revive the hulking “Sopranos” star before declaring him dead.

The extraordinary Wednesday night effort by medical teams in the ambulance and emergency room included heart massage — but couldn’t save the 51-year-old Gandolfini’s life.



“The patient was considered dead on arrival,” said Dr. Claudio Modini, the emergency room chief.

An autopsy was planned to determine if the 260-pound actor’s bulk or hard-partying past played any role in his sudden demise, as members of his HBO friends continued to lavish praise on Gandolfini’s life and work.


Edie Falco, who played Tony Soprano’s suburban housewife/mob enabler Carmela, said the Garden State gangster couple was the Romeo and Juliet of organized crime.



“The love between Tony and Carmela was one of the greatest I’ve ever known,” she said in a statement. “My heart goes out to his family, as those of us in his pretend one hold on to the memories of our intense and beautiful time together.”

Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played daughter Meadow Soprano on the acclaimed HBO show, sent her best wishes to Gandolfini’s widow and two kids.

“This news has left me heartbroken,” she said. “I spent 10 years of my life studying and admiring one of the most brilliant actors, yes, but importantly one of the greatest men.



'I consider myself lucky to have spent 10 years as his close colleague,' said Falco of her co-star James Gandolfini, seen here with their Emmys for best actor and actress in a drama series at the 55th annual Emmy Award show in 2003.



“I treasure my memories with him and feel so honored that I was an up-close witness to his greatness.”

Bruce Springsteen, whose E Street Band includes Gandolfini’s TV consigliere Steve Van Zandt, played his classic “Born to Run” album in its entirety in the late actor’s memory at a show in Conventry, England.

In Rome, a family friend provided more details about the shocking Wednesday night death that rocked fans from Mahwah to Milan.


Says Katherine Narducci, who played Charmaine Bucco, 'I can tell you he was the most generous person in the world.'



Gandolfini, after suffering an apparent heart attack, was discovered inside his hotel room — apparently by his high school-bound son.

There was no immediate word on plans for a wake or funeral, and U.S. Embassy officials said it could take up to a week for the return of Gandolfini’s body to the United States.

Gandolfini, the son of Italian immigrants, was in Rome on a working vacation. He was scheduled to appear at the Taormina Film Festival, where Gandolfini was slated to receive a special prize and appear at the closing ceremony with Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei.



A special tribute was planned instead to honor Gandolfini, according to festival organizers.

Patricia Arquette — seen with Gandolfini in the film True Romance — said 'James was incredibly talented and I feel very fortunate to have had the chance to work with him. ... His work as Tony Soprano was flawless.'


“I felt like somebody kicked me in the stomach,” said Katherine Narducci, who played Charmaine Bucco on the HBO hit series. “I can tell you he was the most generous person in the world ... I can’t believe that he’s gone.”

Narducci said she said last saw Gandolfini at Madison Square Garden for a concert raising funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy.



Gandolfini left behind his wife, Deborah, and two kids: Michael and infant daughter Liliana.

“He was such a beautiful father,” said Narducci. “He loved his kids so much — it was obvious. ... He was just a really loving, loving, loving wonderful guy.”
A young Tony Soprano from the 1999 first season of “The Sopranos,” James Gandolfini brought a powerful complexity to the role of mob boss.



Patricia Arquette, who starred opposite Gandolfini in the pre-“Sopranos” film “True Romance,” heaped similar praise on the lost star.



Gandolfini’s Tribeca neighbors recalled him as a regular guy who was quick with a hand or a hello.

“He did a lot of great things for a lot of people,” said Michael Collarone, owner of a local restaurant where Gandolfini often ate breakfast. “He was an everyday person. He was a great man. I’m heartbroken.”

Michelle Luhan Nordberg, 45, recalled Gandolfini inviting the residents of their building to parties at his place.

“He was a really nice guy, a very sweet man,” said dietician Nordberg. “In spite of his big size, and despite the characters he played, he was really a big teddy bear.”